Planting – How Many Of Which Type Of Plants?

For a site that has no trees and aims to minimise weeding by attaining close to full native cover of plants in a few years:

1. Estimate the area, how many sq m for your site
2. Allow 1 gum tree for 25 sq m – that means planting them about 5m apart.
3. Each tree gets the full range of plant forms – 2 wattle trees, 5 shrubs, 10 daisies/lilies/smaller plants, 25, grasses, 25 ground hugging spreaders
4. Total 68 plants per 25 sq m or 2-3 plants per sq m
5. Numbers are approximate, not critical, but the variety IS very important

Summary per 100 sq m: 272 plants
4 gum trees, 8 wattles,20 shrubs, 40 daisies etc, 100 grasses, 100 spreaders

or by plant numbers: 750 plants covers about 270 sq m or about 10 gum trees

KEEP IN MIND THAT the more grasses and ground hugging spreaders that go in, the sooner there will be less weeding.

BUT the gum trees need a balanced ecosystem, so the site planting needs more lilies, daisies and smaller plants in the long term!!

later plantings to put in to increase biodiversity:

daisies, lilies, smaller plants like bluebells etc

If the site already has mature trees:

the tree will take most of the water in the area under it’s canopy. Plant densely with all the varieties a few meters out from the base of the tree. In time the seeds thrown by the plants will establish themselves in the dryer area.